Some food lovers go for Saveur or Bon Appetit, leafing through issue after issue in search of new recipes. I have a habit of scouring Texas cookbooks from all corners of the state. That’s how I came across this spring-time salad recipe, which features green peas, apple and mint.

The recipe was in the 1980 collection, “Waco Cotton Palace Cookbook: A Legacy of Gracious Dining,” which marked the 10th anniversary of the Waco Cotton Palace Pageant. The title of the book wasn’t promising. Who cares about a cotton pageant court? You might not, until you notice that there, opposite a picture of the Royal Court of 1976, is a recipe for Great-Grandmother’s Orange Pie with sherry in it. Or Dwight’s Picnic Chicken coated in Dijon mustard on the same page as Chicken Breasts Supreme with a topping of chipped beef and bacon.

In this fairly unassuming book are Texas recipes well worth exploring.

In the case of the Green Pea and Apple Salad, the appeal was first in the layering of favorite flavors, followed by the ease with which it all came together. The longest thing that took in making of this salad is chopping the apple.

The only problem I had is that horseradish today isn’t like the horseradish of 37 years ago, when the cookbook was printed. The jar I bought simply had no zip to it. So, even though I more than doubled the amount, the salad lacked a slightly spiky quality that I think would have helped. In that case, the salt really helped. So, taste and adjust as necessary.

This salad was great with lamb. I’m sure it would be just as versatile with everything from picnics to potlucks.

I’ve been hankering for some “pieplant pie” ever since I came across the term while reading Della T. Lutes’ 1935 food memoir, “The Country Kitchen.”

“Pieplant” is apparently a late 19th century term for rhubarb, which is one of the first things to grow up north in the spring.

“Slender, almost translucent pipes of rose color blanching to snowy white where stem meets the parent root; mere rods of tart juiciness held upright by a deeper fibrous body that melts to pulp at the mere hint of heat,” Lutes writes.

I remember that sight oh so well when I lived in upstate New York, where rhubarb would grow for more than six months each year. And that flavor could hardly be bettered, especially when baked in a pie.

Our rhubarb in San Antonio isn’t always fresh, especially this time of year. But you can find it in the freezer section. I went to pick up some and was surprised to find tart cherries next to it. I grabbed a bag of each and set out to make my own version of pieplant pie, which I hope you enjoy.

Let’s face it, diabetics love potatoes like everybody else, but potatoes love our blood sugar levels way too much for our good. Mashed cauliflower has proven effective as a low-carbohydrate substitute for mashed potatoes, but would the same substitute work in potato salad?

The answer is a solid yes.

This No Potato Salad recipe mixes the best of cold potato salad — celery, onion, hard-boiled egg, mayonnaise and mustard — but uses steamed cauliflower instead of boiled potatoes. The idea came from Elena Amsterdam’s Paleo-friendly website, Elena’s Pantry, with a few adjustments for my tastes. You can adapt the recipe how you’d like, using dill pickles or leaving out the parsley. Just watch the added sugar, which is why I use Duke’s mayonnaise.

I took this to an office potluck, and it was a winner. The co-worker sitting next to me didn’t even notice that there were no potatoes in the mix. You can’t ask for a better compliment than that.

Last month, I was reading through the 1945 “Fireside Book of Christmas Stories” and came across a reference to a “Grandma Nadeli’s famed onion custard” pie in Jake Falstaff’s nostalgic “Merry Christmas.”

Onion Custard Pie

What exactly is that, I wondered.

The internet, of course, offered the answer. It was once an American winter favorite that predated the introduction of quiche to our culinary vocabulary. Softened onions were loaded into a prebaked pie crust and then topped with a delicious mixture of eggs, cheese and cream.

I wasn’t able to try the recipe until this week, but the end result was a rich treat, substantial enough to be a main dish, if you’re looking for a meatless alternative, one that’s perfect with a garden salad on the side. Or it could be a warming side dish with almost everything, including steak, chicken, fish and pork chops.

I did have one problem with this recipe, which I found on Serious Eats, and it was a good reminder that recipes are guidelines, not written in stone. The original called for 4 onions without mentioning size. I somehow knew that those gargantuan yellow onions in the supermarket were too big, so I only softened three. Even that was way too much. So was the egg filling, which I made with Swiss cheese instead of Gruyere. I had enough of both left over from a deep dish pie to make a second pie.

A slice of crustless Onion Custard Pie

I did make one modification for the second pie. I omitted the pie crust and baked the remainder in a 7-by-11-inch casserole dish for a lower-carbohydrate alternative. It worked perfectly.

What the internet did not have was a wealth of information on the author, Jake Falstaff. It seems that Falstaff was the pen name of Herman Fetzer, a Cleveland newspaperman who died in 1935. Yet the story, “Merry Christmas,” wasn’t published until 1941 as part of “The Big Snow: Christmas at Jacoby’s Corner.”

Fetzer, or Falstaff, if you will, never knew what that mere mention of Grandma Nadeli’s famed onion custard pie would result in 75 years later.

Roll the chilled pie dough into a 12-inch round. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the dough, folding the edges in to make double-thick sides. Press the sides in well and prick the bottom all over with a fork. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Crustless Onion Custard Pie

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. To keep the dough from shrinking while it bakes, line the shell with a piece of foil or parchment paper, then fill the tart with a layer of dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edge. Take the tart out of the oven; remove the foil and the weights. Return to the oven and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the pastry is an even light golden brown.

In a heavy bottomed skillet, melt the butter over a medium flame. Then add the onions and cook until soft and golden, 20 to 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Taste to make sure the onions are already delicious by themselves. Cool.

Mix together the remaining ingredients. When the onions are cool, spread them in the baked tart shell, pour in the custard mixture, and bake at 375 for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is puffed and golden brown. Let the pie sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or so to firm up before you cut into it.

What did we do before Mint Twists came on the market? We tried crushing our own candy canes or peppermints, of course. And if you’re like me, you always made a mess of things. But now that you can find bags of the already-crushed candies in the aisle near the chocolate chips, you can make you’re own treats — and not just at Christmas.

This dish came about when life handed me more doughnuts than I could eat. At a recent office meeting, very few people touched the two dozen Krispy Kremes that someone had brought. Leftovers included a healthy mix of regular glazed and chocolate-glazed, which had me thinking about bread pudding.

But what would make it more holiday friendly? Chocolate and peppermint, of course. I’m obsessed with dark chocolate-coated peppermint bark, so it only seemed right to add it to the mix, especially when some of the doughnuts already had a little chocolate on them.

Enjoy this at your next holiday brunch with hot chocolate, egg nog or even an Irish coffee on the side.

Chocolate Candy Cane Doughnut Bread Pudding

Let the stale doughnuts soak for at least 10 minutes before baking.

10 to 12 stale doughnuts, with regular glaze or chocolate glaze

3 large eggs

3/4 cup whole milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips, preferably dark chocolate

1/4 cup crushed candy canes or Mint Twists, or to taste

Hard Sauce (optional)

Cut or tear the doughnuts in small pieces. I use a pair of kitchen scissors. Spread out in a 9-by-13-inch dish. Set aside.

In a bowl, beat the eggs slightly. Add milk, heavy cream, vanilla and salt, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Pour over the doughnut pieces. Let sit for at least 10 minutes.

While the doughnut slices are soaking, heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the doughnut slices and stir once or twice to make sure all everything is moist.

Shortly before you put the dish into the oven, sprinkle the crushed candy canes over the top to taste.

Bake for 30 minutes. Check to see if everything has a come together. You may need to bake up to five minutes more. If you do, turn the oven off and let it sit in there.

In your mixer, whip the butter for a couple of minutes at medium speed. Add the sugar slowly and scrape down the sizes so everything is thoroughly incorporated. Then add the liquor and mix for a minute or two more. Use at room temperature. (If you make this in advance, refrigerate until about an hour before it’s needed. Take it out, so it can warm up.)

Makes about 2 1/2 cups sauce.

Adapted from Ree Drummond

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I spent some time with family in Louisville recently and had the chance to make some pickles with my mother, using a version of her beloved bread and butter pickle recipe, which I have feasted on since I was a kid.

Let the squash sit in a vinegar solution for 2 hours before canning.

The only difference this time was that we didn’t use cucumbers. We made them with fresh yellow squash that a friend of hers had given them.

The end result tastes almost exactly the same. Both are available throughout the year, so whether you get squash from the market or your fall garden, you can enjoy these year-round.

Note: You’ll only need 1 bell pepper of your preferred color, if you’re using one of the large ones from the supermarket,

In a large non-aluminum bowl, add the squash, bell pepper and onion. Cover with salt and stir together. Let sit for 2 hours. Stir occasionally.

While the vegetables are sitting, combine vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed and turmeric in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

When the 2 hours are up, squeeze the vegetables dry. Then add the vegetables to the saucepan. Stir to incorporate everything together and let sit for 2 hours more.

When the 2 hours are up, bring the vegetables to a boil. Remove immediately and separate into 4 (1-pint) jars. Fill almost to the top with liquid. Seal using your preferred method or top with a jar lid and refrigerate immediately. Wait a day or two before eating.

Seal the jars, if you like, or cover and refrigerate them immediately.

Makes 4 (1-pint) jars. (If you aren’t sealing the lids, the pickles will keep up to 2 months in the refrigerator.)

From Annaliese Griffin and John Griffin

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My Bible study group recently decided to have an Indian themed dinner, and it fell to my lot to bring a salad. When I started to do my research, however, I couldn’t stop at one. So, I made three.

Each of these is easy to make, which is always a plus. But their greatness, individually and collectively, lies in the bold, clean flavors that will add to any meal, Indian or otherwise. I have already made the Mango Salad and the Onion and Tomato Salad twice since then.

If you’re looking for a fresh alternative to a lettuce salad, check out these options.

For the dressing: In a bowl, mix oil, lemon juice, salt, sugar, black pepper, ginger juice and fennel. Set aside.

For the salad: Peel the cucumber, leaving strips of skin. Slice thin, crosswise. The slices should look like half-moons.

Toss the cucumber with ground cashews, if using, and mint to coat the slices.

Just before serving, add the dressing. Mix it well.

Note: To make the ginger juice, shred the ginger using a fine shredder or zester. Squeeze the shredded ginger with your fingers to get all the juice out. Or you can place a piece of peeled ginger in a sturdy lemon juicer and press hard several times.

Combine the onion, lemon juice and 3/4 teaspoon of the salt in a bowl. Cover and marinate for 20 minutes or longer, stirring occasionally. (Editor’s note: Having made the recipe twice, I would suggest marinating the onion at least 30 minutes.) Drain and discard the juice.

Add the tomatoes and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Toss lightly to mix.

“In season, the swee4t and sour taste of an underripe mango when combined with salt and cayenne peppers adds and excellent taste to any meal. It is eaten more like a pickle, in a small quantity, rather than a salad,” writes Madhu Gadia in “New Indian Home Cooking.”

What’s in a name? We’ve been asking ourselves that since Shakespeare proffered the question in “Romeo and Juliet.”

We asked it again when we spied this recipe for Weeknight Porchetta from the January 2015 issue of Bon Appetit magazine. Yes, it was the name “porchetta” that attracted our attention, but there were so many differences in approach that we were skeptical, despite Alison Roman’s introduction: “Sometimes it’s OK to cut corners. Here we make the classic Italian dish with bacon and skip the multiday air-drying process. It’s not traditional, but it sure is delicious.”

We gave it a try anyway and was pleasantly surprised at how satisfying the dish was on so many levels.

The roasted garlic is perfect by itself, if you want an appetizer to spread on toast; or you could pair it with another cut of meat, such as a juicy steak or a thick slab of prime rib.

Roman offers this insight into why you wrap the tenderloin in bacon: “As the bacon cooks, the fat renders, basting the tenderloin with flavor and ensuring it stays juicy (all while cooking perfectly itself). To keep the bacon in place, wrap the slices around the tenderloin, tucking ends underneath each other.”

One time we made the dish, we varied it by adding slices of apples at the last minute. The slices added to the overall dish; whether you like the baked apple slices depends on your fondness for rosemary, because they absorbed a lot of the herb’s flavor.

Rub garlic mixture over all tenderloin (if you have time to do this in the morning, great; refrigerate pork until dinner). Scatter rosemary sprigs in a large baking dish and set tenderloin on top. Wrap bacon slices around tenderloin, tucking ends underneath, so bacon stays put. Nestle halved heads of garlic around tenderloin and add apple slices, if using. Drizzle everything with remaining 1 tablespoon oil.

Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of tenderloin registers 145 degrees for medium, 40-45 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Mom’s birthday was last week, and I made the trek to Louisville to help the folks celebrate. I didn’t have time to work up all the figs from the backyard, so I filled my suitcase with tins of fresh fruit. (In a way, it was like bringing coals to Newcastle, to use that old cliche, because their fig bushes were covered with enormous, juicy figs.)

What to do with them? I know she likes chocolate, so I had to include that somehow. That’s when I got the idea of making a ganache and serving it with the figs and a crust using my go-to pastry recipe. Here’s the end result, which was more beautiful than I had imagined and the flavor was even better.

In a stand mixer, cream butter and add sugar, sea salt and flavoring on medium. Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour to create a dough. Press the dough into a 9-inch circular tart pan. Cover the dough with a sheet of aluminum foil and weight it down. Bake for 8 minutes. Then uncover and bake another 5 minutes or until golden brown. (If you don’t want to overbake, turn the oven off 2 or 3 minutes before you think it will be done.) Set aside and let cool. Once it’s cool, remove from the tart pan and place on a serving plate.

For the figs: Pre-heat the broiler with the rack as close to the top as possible.

Take half of the figs and slice them thinly lengthwise. Quarter the rest of the figs. Place on a rack. Brush them with honey. Place under the broiler and let them roast. Watch closely and remove as soon as the honey on top starts to boil. Set aside and let cool.

For the ganache: When ready to assemble, set up a double boiler and melt the chocolate. Stir in the milk at little at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Add a pinch of salt.

On the crust, lay out the fig slices in concentric circles, starting at the outside and building in until the top is covered. Carefully spread the ganache over the center and out just to the edge of the fig slices. Top the tart with the quartered figs, starting at the center with three fig quarters and working out to the edge of the chocolate.

Serve with whipped cream, raspberries or raspberry sauce, if desired.

Makes 1 tart.

From John Griffin

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If you live in the San Antonio area long enough, you’ll come to know that Big Red has seeped into the culinary fabric of the city in a big way. It’s easy to see why. In addition to its pleasant vanilla flavor, it’s bright red color and over-the-top level of caffeine make it a genuine eye-opener on several levels.

It’s a poke cake, so poke it good.

Needless to say, Big Red has been adapted for uses beyond merely drinking with barbacoa on weekend mornings.

One way is this Big Red Cake, the recipe for which I found in the 1991 “Market Trail Heritage Cookbook,” a collection from a number of cities in and around San Antonio, including Hondo, Castroville, D’Hanis, Pearsall, Devine, Somerset and more. I knew the book was a treasure when I saw this recipe from someone named Thelma Ramirez, who has combined a number of favorites, including the ever-popular poke cake, into one outrageous treat.

It’s not just a poke cake. There’s a layer of pudding on top, then it’s capped off with Cool Whip and finally fresh fruit. (That makes it healthy, right?)

I made a few variations to the original when I tried it. I made the box cake with melted butter instead of oil, milk instead of water, an added egg and a splash of vanilla, all of which helped create a more homemade richness to the cake mix. I also used blueberries instead of strawberries on top, because it’s the Fourth of July weekend and I wanted a red, white and blue cake to help celebrate.

Prepare cake mix as directed and bake in a 9-by-13-inch pan. Let cool.

Make the cake however you want to. I changed a few ingredients to make it denser.

Mix the strawberry gelatin with 1 cup of hot water and the cold Big Red. Poke holes in the cake and pour the gelatin mixture evenly over the cake. Pour the entire mixture over the top. The cake will eventually absorb all of the liquid. Let it set for at least 30 minutes.

See the air bubble? It takes time for the cake to absorb all of the Big Red-gelatin liquid.

Prepare the vanilla pudding according to the directions on the box and spread evenly over the cake. (If you are making this ahead, cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)

Cover it with vanilla pudding and let it set until you’re ready to eat. I’m ready now.

When you’re ready to serve, spread the Cool Whip over the top and garnish with fresh strawberries. If you want a red, white and blue look, use blueberries on top.